This is one of those beautiful weddings that not only has dreamy, soft pictures but also a romantic swoon-worthy and inspirational story that goes along with it.

Caroline is originally from England and Guy from Israel but their paths crossed in Virginia while Guy was a student at the “Darden Business School”. Caroline was managing a coffee shop close to Guy’s campus and he would come in every morning to get his cappuccino. For a while they never exchanged more than glances until one day Caroline asked him where he was from and they ended up having a great conversation.

For two weeks after that they spoke on Facebook and by the time they saw each other again at the cafe they were both nervous because they really liked each other. Caroline didn’t wait for Guy to ask her out and gave him her phone number and asked him out.   Halfway through the date they had their first kiss and have been inseparable ever since!

The marriage proposal happened on New Year’s Eve during a trip to Virginia to visit friends. Caroline had just gotten sad news about her grandfather in England passing away. Hanging up the phone, they pulled up to the coffee shop where Guy and Caroline had met.  Walking into the coffee shop, she realized that the whole place was full of candles and flowers.  Guy pulled out a ring and proposed. For Caroline it was amazing and also very surreal since she had just been told about her grandfather’s death. In retrospect though Caroline tells us it felt appropriate that she lost my grandfather and got engaged on New Years eve, the end of one year and the beginning of the next.

Even before their engagement and after a visit to Israel Caroline decided to begin classes at a Chicago synagogue to convert to Judaism. She tells us it was an amazing experience for her.

They decided to also get married in Israel and planned the entire wedding long distance via their wedding planner Shay Windman.  They wanted a wedding with about 120 guests and immediately fell in love with Jaffa’s Beit Andromeda venue.  

Caroline added many DIY details to her wedding. Being an artist she designed her own ketubah using watercolors. The left side of the Ketubah represents Guy’s family, the right side represents her family, and the bottom represents Guy and my life together. She also included two figures inspired by a chagall painting, releasing doves and at the top is a view of Old Jaffa where we got married. Stunning!!

Caroline also printed hundreds of photos of Guy and and their families. The photos were hung in the entrance to the event so guests could  walk through the family stories and memories that led to the two of them meeting. The other personal touch that Caroline added was to ask guests to write them postcards. She went to a souvenir shop in Tel Aviv and bought 100 postcards of Old Jaffa and then drew a big postcard sign asking guests to write us them note that they could take home with us to Chicago.

And one last special detail: During the wedding planning process Caroline put a lot of thought into what she could give the guests at the end of the wedding. As an artist and art therapist she wanted to give the guests something really personal and meaningful that she had created. Before coming to Israel she spent two straight days in the lithography studio at the Art Institute of Chicago making lithographs of Old Jaffa for their guests. She wanted to make something commemorating where they were getting married. 

Guy and Caroline now live in Chicago. She is an art therapist, working with older adults at a skilled nursing and memory care facility and working primarily with adults living with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia. With no doubt she is beautiful inside and out and an inspiration for all brides-to-be with her gorgeous wedding and beautiful details which made her event so special.   Mazal tov Guy & Caroline. Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful story and day with us. We are touched and inspired.